condemnation

American  

[kon-dem-ney-shuhn, -duhm-] / ˌkɒn dɛmˈneɪ ʃən, -dəm- /

noun

• condemnations
  plural

1. the act of condemning.

2. the state of being condemned.

3. strong censure; disapprobation; reproof.

4. a cause or reason for condemning.

5. U.S. Law. the seizure, as of property, for public use.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncondemnation
  noun
• recondemnation
  noun
• self-condemnation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• condemnations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of condemnation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English condempnacioun, from Middle French, from Late Latin condemnātiōn-, stem of condemnātiō; equivalent to condemn + -ation

Explanation

Condemnation is the act of declaring something awful or evil. If your little brother does something unspeakably awful, express your condemnation so he will learn not to do it again. Condemnation comes from the verb condemn, "to strongly disapprove." You might criticize something that you still think is worthwhile, but if you express condemnation, that’s laying a heavy moral blame. Condemnation is used in law, and means the same thing as sentencing; you might have heard a judge say “I condemn you to ten years of hard labor.” Also, a very dangerous building will be sealed up and deemed uninhabitable by an act of condemnation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

condemnation condemnations

Uefa has now taken aim at Infantino with a thunderous barrage of criticism, condemnation and vicious questioning.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

For critics, Andrew Tate became a symbol of a frustrating reality that emerged in the years after the #MeToo movement: the gap between public condemnation and meaningful accountability.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

Others in Merz's party have been forthright in their condemnation, calling on Spahn to resign as head of the CDU's parliamentary group.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

The pastor’s arrest had drawn condemnation from the U.S. government and lawmakers of both political parties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Such condemnations might reduce violence, but, in any case, they are the right thing to do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

But the 70-year-old pontiff has been cautious in his statements since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that started the war on February 28, refraining from naming any party in his condemnations and appeals for peace.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

The genre’s marginal roots complicate blanket condemnations, since the same raunchy lyrics often encode critiques of class exclusion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

While it’s important that politicians denounce the violence publicly, their condemnations are the beginning of the solution to the problem, not the end, she said.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2025

And she rather enjoyed her own eloquence, and was led on by it to make some most astounding assertions, and utter some scathing condemnations with an air of comfortable self-satisfaction.

From A Charming Fellow, Volume III (of 3) by Frances Eleanor Trollope

Related Words

• accusation
• censure
• denunciation
• disapproval
• judgment